After being reborn, I make up my mind to stop chasing after my husband and daughter

“I ended up in that little backwater town of his, and by the time I got there, it was already dark. I checked into a hotel and asked him to come see me… but he never came.” Melissa knocked back her drink in one go, tears welling up in her eyes. “Can you believe it? I spend my days helping other people get divorced, but when it comes to my own love life, I’m completely clueless. Love just messes you up–it hurts, and it’s addictive. I think… I just imagined our future together too many times. I turned him into the perfect husband in my head, the kind of guy I could come home to, cook dinner with, just listen to the rain together… Victoria, if you ever fall for someone, don’t start dreaming about the future… because sometimes, there just isn’t one.”

As Melissa said all that, it really hit home for me.

When you fall for someone, you start weaving this perfect future in your head and just get lost in it, not wanting to wake up.

But when the pain finally snaps you out of it, it’s like your whole soul gets yanked out—you feel so empty, like you’re not even whole anymore.

“All men are assholes… I’m done with love. I don’t need a man to live a good life… Seriously, I can buy my own house, I can love myself.” Melissa could usually hold her liquor, but tonight she was totally smashed, ranting drunkenly.

I paid the bill and took her back to my apartment.

Melissa crashed in my guest room, and just then, a gentle rain began to fall outside.

I stood by the floor–to–ceiling window, sipping my tea and watching the rain. It felt like my heart was quietly raining too.

I was luckier than Melissa. In every relationship, I never let myself get too attached or take things too seriously.

Whether it was with Nathan or Ryan, my fear of marriage meant I could give them my time, my energy, and emotional support–but I never truly gave them my heart. I only let my real feelings show when we were together, and the moment we broke up, I’d quietly put my heart back behind its walls.

So, for me, the pain of a breakup never lasted long.

But Melissa always pictured herself having a home with Zachary–a cozy, happy little life together.

on that

her heart was shattered.

someone always ends

than I ever was in them. When we finally split, it hurt them way more

putting yourself first really is the secret to

and sipped my tea, feeling my nerves finally start

10:27 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 594

to mess you up, rule number one:

86

55 vouchers

vanished in the blink of an eye. By the eighth day, Hachester was filling up again, people pouring in

the hotel project was basically set in motion. Somehow, Jared had managed to snag an even bigger share of the company than before–he was basically running

really objected. Just like that, I got put

GM.

though it was Jared’s decision, there was still a lot of chatter going on behind

was way too young and didn’t have enough experience for a job like

hearing more and more pushback from people at

Jared knocked on my office

the two of us?” I

“I’ve invited a few shareholders